CIRI
SPOTLIGHT:
Jayson
Giles, United Way Loaned Account Manager 
Jayson
Giles is one of those rare individuals who is a pleasure to talk to because
he has a knack for putting you at ease. Sensitive and big-hearted, he is a
perceptive person who communicates and relates well to other people.
Giles, a CIRI shareholder
of Aleut, Athabascan and European descent, was born and raised in Anchorage.
He has been an employee of CIRI for the past 10 years and most recently held
the
position of community relations
specialist in charge of
administering donation requests
and organizing the CIRI golf tournament.
But over the past year, Giles has served
a broader purpose as a Loaned
Account Manager to United Way.
"Each year, a variety of businesses within the community provide loaned account managers to United Way to assist with the agency's annual fundraising campaign," said Giles.
Under the direction of United Way's professional staff, loaned account managers are responsible for planning, organizing, and successfully completing campaigns to broaden the level of employee giving within assigned business segments.
United Way is a charitable community organization that helps provide vital services to thousands of our friends and neighbors who really need help. With United Way's leadership and experience, donations are used to address our community's most important problems. United Way promotes successful children and stronger families, provides a safety net for people in need, and health and independence for the elderly and disabled.
Giles is in charge of businesses within assigned industries at the United Way. When a business or corporation decides to make charitable contributions through United Way, it is Giles' responsibility to talk with their employees about United Way and explain why making a charitable contribution is good for the community. During last year's campaign, Giles was instrumental in working with the Alaska Native regional corporations to exceed their campaign goal of raising $450,000 dollars by 20 percent.
"It was a pleasure serving United Way during Carl Marrs' co-chairmanship of the past campaign," said Giles. "Loaned account managers are just one way that local businesses lend support to the community and the United Way campaign."
Giles also notes that CIRI employees led the way with an increase of nearly 300 percent in their contributions to United Way. Giles is also proud of the fact that CIRI is such a community minded corporation with employees making generous donations of both their money and time to charitable causes and organizations.
Giles hopes to broaden
his experiences at United Way as he continues on for another year. In addition
to working on the fund-raising campaign, he looks forward to assisting with
the organization's marketing, public relations, and volunteer programs. Since
being at United Way, Giles has learned a great deal about the community he
grew up in and has discovered it is a generous community. He's happy to participate
in the important process of helping people who are in need.
This is a tale about members of a tribe who refused to give up their efforts to protect and preserve a tiny cemetery, even when it looked as though they would never get title to the land on which their relatives were buried. It's a tale of perseverance. And in the end, it's a tale of triumph.
CIRI President & CEO Carl Marrs said he is pleased that CIRI and Chickaloon worked together in solving what had become an extremely painful situation for Chickaloon villagers.
"I'm pleased that by working together we found a way for the Chickaloon tribe to deal with a very sensitive situation," Marrs said. "This was an extremely unusual case, and I'm gratified that our corporate resources could be used in a manner befitting the honor due our people's culture."
Chickaloon Tribal Chief Gary Harrison said he has been aware of the problems with the cemetery since he was 16 years old in 1975. He called the joint effort with CIRI to preserve the cemetery a win-win situation.
The Sutton Cemetery is located at Mile 61 of the Glenn Highway, about 15 miles north of Palmer. It's just 1,061 square feet on a subdivided lot of 1.41 acres. Four spirit houses mark the graves of Ivan Stickman's two sisters and his mother and father. Also buried on the land is the body of Harry Nicholi, who died at age 74 in 1992.
It was his simple dying wish that he would be buried near his relatives. When his relatives tried to comply, an already bitter dispute between the Chickaloon Native Village and the owners of the property became enflamed. Grieving relatives who thought they had permission to bury their loved one at first were turned away from the cemetery by problems in the title to the land. According to Harrison, the first grave was put there in 1939.
Barbara Donatelli,
CIRI Executive Vice President,
and Chickaloon
Tribal Chief Gary Harrison
There was a time in CIRI's history when the decision to expend funds for the
purchase of land that would then be given away would have been a tough call.
Early on, CIRI simply did not have the money to take such a step. Today, however,
the corporation is enjoying financial success, and it is possible in exceptional
cases to consider the purchase of culturally valuable property not intended
to produce revenue.
Candace Beery, CIRI land manager, said she has been involved in the search for a solution since the summer of 1995. There were times when she wondered whether an answer could be found. Government officials seemed to be throwing up their hands, she said, and there was not enough focus on a search for creative answers.
"I'm pleased Chickaloon was able to accomplish their goals and that now the proper entity has title to the property," she said.
The tale has a joyous ending. It's an ending in which the financial gains made possible by ANCSA were used to purchase a parcel of land that is utterly priceless to representatives of Alaska's First People.
Harrison feels that
saving the cemetery is the beginning of a new era. He hopes it's a stepping
stone to further such efforts.
